A Water Baby at Heart: Choosing Joy Over Insecurity
My absolute favourite way to move more outdoors right now is swimming. I mentioned in my last post that I’m a total water baby and it couldn’t be more true. As a child, on family camping holidays in France, I would spend every spare moment in the pool or the sea until I was wrinkled like a prune. Being the pale, freckled redhead that I am, I was never much of a sun worshipper, so the water was always where you’d find me.
Relaxing after a swim in Lake Brienz on a hiking holiday, Interlaken, Switzerland, September 2023
In my late teens and twenties there were many moments when I avoided going in the water because it meant wearing a swimsuit in front of people. Unfortunately, I let that insecurity stop me from doing something I loved. Looking back now, in my late thirties, I feel sad that I let body confidence issues stop me from doing something I enjoyed so much. The truth is, most people are too wrapped up in their own insecurities to notice anyone else anyway.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve slowly begun to let go of some of those worries by focusing more on the things that bring me joy. Swimming is one of those things. For me, it feels far more important to spend time doing what makes me happy than to hold back because of insecurities. I am still on a journey to loving my body more, but these days I find myself choosing joy over self-doubt, and that feels like real progress.
Early morning swim in Lake Ontario, Toronto, August 2025
When we moved back to Toronto this year, we knew we wanted to be in the Beaches and I am so grateful it worked out. Tess thinks every day is her birthday with at least one, sometimes two swims a day. She is living her best life! I try to get in the lake as often as I can too. Sometimes it’s just a quick dip to wash away the stress of work or Toronto traffic, other times it’s a longer swim.
I’ll happily swim in any water: pool, river, ocean, you name it. But lake swimming will always be my favourite. Lake Ontario can often feel like the sea with its vastness and waves, only without the salty sting or the sharks! One of the highlights of our canoe trips is plunging into the stunning backcountry lakes. I start every morning there with a dip and end each day cooling off after hours of paddling. I just love it.
Evening dip at the base of Dalles Rapids, French River, Ontario, August 2025
Now that we live so close to the lake, I want to see how long I can keep going once the colder weather sets in. I’d like to try cold water immersion more regularly. I’ve dabbled with cold showers and a few cold plunges, but never consistently. The most memorable was in March a few years ago back in the UK, when my sister, a seasoned cold water swimmer, convinced me to join her for a dip in the English Channel. It ended with her dragging me out as waves crashed over me and my frozen feet shredded from the shingle beach. Probably hilarious to anyone watching, but it hasn’t put me off. I just need to build up to it, and wear something on my feet next time!
Swimming in Lake Ontario while Tess has a play, Toronto, August 2025
So while the weather is still warm, I will keep putting on my swimsuit with pride and getting in the water as often as I can. Every swim gives me an instant mood boost. It really is my happy place and I could bob around for hours. Who knows, maybe come fall or winter I will even be one of those people you see having a plunge on a cold crisp morning.
If you, like me, have ever held back from swimming because of body insecurities, the best advice I can give is simple: focus on the joy. Life is too short to miss out on the things that make us happy. What I keep reminding myself, and maybe it will help you too, is to get out of your own way, honour the body you have, and spend more time moving in the ways you love outdoors. It is not about how you look, it is about how you feel. Choose joy and just jump in!
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Evening dip in Lake Ontario, Toronto, August 2025